"We just started banging balls back and forth for about 20 minutes, trying to one-up each other," said Morstead, whom the Saints drafted in the fifth round out of Southern Methodist to challenge the incumbent veteran. "So it's been a fun competition, but I probably shouldn't do that regularly."

"Hey, I've got to show him that the old dog still needs to eat too," said Pakulak of the spontaneous showdown. "He's going to have to earn it."

It's far too early to suggest which punter is "winning" the competition. It will be at least two months before one of these guys can truly get a leg up on the other -- once they start showing how consistently they can perform during training camp two-a-days and preseason games.

But in the meantime, they clearly intend to bring the best out in one another.

That includes some helpful mentoring from Pakulak, the 29-year-old journeyman who had been through six NFL camps and a stint in NFL Europe before finally landing a regular-season gig with the Saints over the final eight weeks of last season.

Morstead described Pakulak as "by far the best guy" he's ever competed against. He said among other pointers, Pakulak has taught him an end-over-end rugby-style technique for pooch punts that Morstead had never been able to do consistently.

"I was nervous about it, because I'm sure some guys might never say a word to the other guy," Morstead said. "But he's a really, really nice guy, and he's a real true professional."

Pakulak, who has always been on the other end of this type of competition, said, "It's not going to do me any good to be mean to the kid. He's a great kid, and it's just not in me to be mean."

Pakulak said he has heard "horror stories" about young guys getting the cold shoulder. But he said he considers himself "blessed" to have been around great veterans in all his previous NFL stops in Oakland, Chicago, Tennessee, Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Seattle.

"I figure the karma can only help you out," Pakulak said.

Pakulak does, however, admit that he was surprised when he found out the Saints had not only drafted Morstead in the fifth round, but that they traded up to get him, sacrificing next year's fifth-round pick and a seventh-rounder this year.

He thought he had earned the Saints' confidence with his performance over the final eight games of last year, when he compiled a gross average of 47.7 yards per kick -- which would have ranked fourth in the league had he had enough attempts to qualify.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say it took a little wind out of my sails, but I understand. Teams are always wanting to get better at every position," Pakulak said.

He admits he has been pressing a bit to perform in these early summer practices, "subconsciously" feeling the pressure to outshine the rookie.

"I just need to relax and keep doing what got me here," he said. "Obviously, if I could draw it up perfectly, I'd be the only guy here and punting the heck out of the ball. But I think it will bring the best out of both of us. Whoever wins the job will deserve it."

Morstead, meanwhile, needs to battle the pressure of being such a controversial draft pick. Fans were up in arms when the Saints moved up to draft a punter, especially considering they had only four picks to work with.

The husky 6-foot-4, 225-pound punter sent a few "oohs" and "aahs" through the crowd during Saturday afternoon's minicamp practice with one especially high, booming kick.

Morstead's parents were in the crowd that day, too, which made it an extra special experience, though he considered it just a "B" day, performance-wise.

"I've been fairly consistent," Morstead said. "I've had a couple of really good days, and I haven't had a day where I've just been mad at myself or anything."

"So far, he has looked very comfortable," Saints Coach Sean Payton said. "Certainly, you guys can see his leg strength. He's a fairly tall guy and fairly explosive, and I've been encouraged with what I've seen. .¤.¤. We'll get a chance to see him with a live rush in the preseason."

Morstead said one of the lessons he learned from legendary special teams coach Frank Gansz at SMU last year was to stay consistent - that it was more important to hit his "B" punts on a regular basis than to fluctuate between the "As, Bs and Cs."

Morstead had a unique opportunity last year to work with Gansz, who died at age 70 one day after the draft. Gansz coached for 38 years, 24 of them in the NFL, including a brief head-coaching stint in Kansas City.

Gansz came out of retirement last year to work under SMU Coach June Jones. Morstead said he really helped prepare him for the NFL, harping on things like directional punting, and even though he spent just one year with Gansz, Morstead said he "loved him like a family member."

"I know, it's crazy," said Morstead, who had a chance to speak last weekend at a memorial service held for Gansz at the Naval Academy. "I probably cried five or six times on the podium when I spoke. It was really intense, but that's the biggest honor I've ever received. He was an awesome, awesome man."

Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.